The Adonis Factor (2010)

2010-06-191h 49m

Gay men and their pursuit of physical perfection. When it comes to looks and body image, gay men can be a pretty tough crowd. Men are visually programmed. And gay men have an appreciation for beauty in all aspects, whether it's other male bodies or just antiques. There's no doubt that attractiveness is key to a man's self-esteem and his impression on others, especially in gay life. The pressure to look good is even more intense in an image- driven culture where near-naked images of masculine perfection abound. Men are being objectified as never before. From super models and muscle boys, to bears and twinks to average Joes, along with experts in the business of beauty, "The Adonis Factor" is a revealing look at gay men's love or lust for all things pretty.

Related Movies

582441-thumbnail

Coming Oot! A Fabulous History of Gay Scotland (2015)

A varied history of gay people and Scotland.

1103886-thumbnail

Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes (2024)

An intimate look at pioneering artist George Platt Lynes, who took radically explicit photographs of the male nude. The documentary reveals Lynes’ gifted eye for the male form, his long-term friendships with Gertrude Stein and Alfred Kinsey, and his lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists.

1268557-thumbnail

The Callers (2024)

THE CALLERS combines anonymous documentary testimony with imagined creative scenes to tell the story of those who have called the oldest queer support line in the UK, seeking guidance on everything from where to find the nearest leather club to how to come out, start a family or mend a broken heart. The film is a love letter to queer memory and possibility, LGBTQ+ community and care, and the power of collective imagination to create the lives we dream of.

244697-thumbnail

Packed Lunch (2005)

What is it about Speedos? Well here Australian director Tim Hunter is on a mission to find the answer to the question of why so many gay men can't seem to get enough of hunks in tight fitting trunks? Although somehow I think the answer can be found in the question! Anyway in a bid to discover the truth, Hunter has carried out a series of interviews with men who have more than a passing interest in this briefest of garment, including that of Speedo designer Peter Travis, who here relates his part in the history of 'the male equivalent of the Wonder Bra.'

419396-thumbnail

Gender Me: Homosexuality and Islam (2008)

Gender Me is a road movie about Mansour’s voyage into the world of Islam. It is a personal odyssey through a world of taboos, filled with contradictory images. He explores questions regarding faith and gender in Islam with a special focus on the unusual stories of Muslim gays. Mansour is a homosexual Iranian refugee who has been living in Oslo for the past 18 years where he works as a pharmacist. Now he wants to travel back to Istanbul, where he lived for two years before he was granted asylum in Norway.

1112980-thumbnail

Desire/Ability (2023)

A documentary exploring the life of a man with multiple disabilities, as he discusses his approach to sexuality and romance; focusing on his desire for a genuine partner, as opposed to ​a carer, a martyr or somebody "doing him a favour".

251197-thumbnail

La Bare (2014)

Since the birth of the male review in the late 1970s, the greatest male strippers in the world can all be traced back to one club... La Bare Dallas. La Bare gives you a behind the curtains look at the lives, loves, laughs, and loss of the current crop of dancers as well as the man that’s been going strong for over three decades since the club’s inception, Randy “Master Blaster” Ricks.

249719-thumbnail

Facing Fear (2013)

The worlds of a former neo-Nazi and the gay victim of his senseless hate crime attack collide by chance 25 years after the incident that dramatically shaped both of their lives. They proceed to embark on a journey of forgiveness that challenges both to grapple with their beliefs and fears, eventually leading to an improbable collaboration...and friendship.

585525-thumbnail

Private Life: Kyle Ross (2019)

Welcome to the Private Life of Kyle Ross. In this intimate documentary, you'll get to know the boy behind the star. From his corporate gig at Helix Studios to the dissolution of his high profile relationship, nothing is off the table. Intent on bending stereotypes and gracefully aging in an industry that celebrates youth, Kyle shares the work that goes into maintaining an image while simultaneously shedding it. After all, he's always enjoyed a contradiction.

250651-thumbnail

The Case Against 8 (2014)

A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

254042-thumbnail

Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End (1997)

Narrated by Linda Hunt, this documentary examines the life of the late author and gay rights activist Paul Monette. Born in 1945 to a well-off Massachusetts family, Monette grows up unable to accept his homosexuality, for years hiding it from his loved ones while struggling to develop as a writer. In 1978, Monette publishes his first novel, which allows him to come out to his parents. After losing one lover to AIDS in 1986, he becomes a ferocious advocate for awareness of the disease.

253820-thumbnail

Oliver (1983)

A documentary about a gay nightclub performer with an especially lurid "Spider-man" act. Oliver is a female impersonator who supports his family by performing in Manila's gay bars.

1435-thumbnail

Tarnation (2003)

Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more -- culled from 19 years of his life.

584273-thumbnail

High Energy: Disco on Amphetamines (2019)

By the end of the seventies, disco music, considered too mainstream, was dead. But DJs and dance floors still needed new records and faster rhythms. Built on synthesizer sounds, the hi-nrg (high energy) style swept the gay clubs before hitting the charts during the eighties.

246557-thumbnail

Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family (2005)

In his early twenties, Sam Cagnina, oldest son of a Mafia hit man, meets Steven, a handsome 19-year old college student and they fall in love. Then, after a few years Sam offers Steven a "visionary" idea. What if they could find a woman who would fall in love with both of them and agree to live in a "trio" relationship? They spend the next 7 years dating and looking for that special woman. Finally, they meet Samantha, a young, struggling actress. THREE OF HEARTS explores this very unique trio union as they negotiate their living arangements, fall in love and open one of the hottest wellness centres in New York City. Everyone who comes in contact with them is never quite sure how the relationship works. But the one thing which seems certain is their love for each other.

416437-thumbnail

Dear Jesse (1998)

In 1996, at age 30, native son Tim Kirkman returns to North Carolina to explore the parallels and differences between himself and Jesse Helms: they're from the same town and college, with media interests, from families blessed by adoptions, Baptists by upbringing.

583140-thumbnail

Mr. Leather (2019)

Dom Barbudo, a pioneer in the São Paulo gay and BDSM community and elected first Mister Leather Brasil in 2017, prepares to pass on the mantle to one of the four contestants in the second edition of the contest.

583476-thumbnail

Joe Orton Laid Bare (2017)

Exploring the wit, work and world of Joe Orton through his own words, and the testimony of those who knew him and worked with him.

413579-thumbnail

Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened... (2016)

This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981.

591486-thumbnail

The Unicorn (2018)

Peter Grudzien is the lone musical force behind The Unicorn, an openly gay country music album. With the same rawness of a life full of ups and downs, The Unicorn, the movie, follows his personal and artistic journey, which includes mental problems and a peculiar and chaotic family.